Filed under: Handhelds

Compal’s been a vocal supporter of Intel’s MID followup to the tragic UMPC platform ever since It was announced in April of last year. Hell, the Taiwanese ODM even dedicated a team to crank out all the devices expected in the first half of 2008 but never came thanks in part, to Intel’s Atom slippage. Now Compal looks ready to toss a MID to consumers (either direct or through a third-party manufacturer, it’s not clear) with the unveiling of this handheld at Intel’s IDF in San Francisco. The QWERTY slider packs GPS, a Linux-based OS with media player, browser, eMail and IM clients, and Option’s GlobeTrotter Connect and GTM501 HSPA data kit offering tri-band HSUPA/HSDPA and quad-band GPRS/EDGE connectivity the world-over. No pricing or availability has been announced but we hope to hear more later today.

[Thanks, Stuart L.]

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Filed under: Wireless

Check it data fans, AT&T just announced a pair of new HSUPA LaptopConnect cards from Option. The GT Ultra goes type II PCMCIA while the GT Ultra Express is, you guessed it, destined for ExpressCard34 slots. Both cards are tri-band UMTS/HSPA 850/900/2100MHz and quad-band GPRS/EDGE capable for what AT&T speeds of about 600Kbps to 1.4Mbps on the way down or 500Kbps to 800Kbps back up the tubes. Those bands should get your suit connected in some 140 countries spanning the US, Europe, Japan and Korea. The cards are Mac and PC compatible and will set you back <s>$50</s> 0$ (for a limited time starting tomorrow) plus a two year contract of at least $60 per month. After you mail-in the appropriate rebate forms of course… which you’ll probably forget.

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Filed under: Transportation

Just when you thought your radio carrier headaches had gone away — bam — Ford starts offering HD Radio on almost all of its new vehicles. That’s right, according to a recent press release, the automaker has plans to equip (should you so choose) a large percentage of its 2008 Ford, Lincoln, and Mercury vehicles with the new high definition “standard.” HD Radio — if you’ll recall — is free, and broadcasts on about 1,500 stations in the US, but offers higher quality audio than standard FM, in addition to features like track ID and extra “piggybacked” channels (called HD2). On top of the inclusion of the systems in new vehicles, Ford says that its 2005, 2006 and 2007 models can be retrofitted with the receivers, thus giving your old jalopy a sheen of newness heretofore unseen.

[Via Autoblog]

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